At the White House, Chief of Staff Denis McDonough greeted returning workers, many of whom had been at home for more than two weeks. “Good morning!” Mr. McDonough said in a loud voice at a security gate, with a pencil tucked above his right ear.

Reuters

White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough

Elsewhere, Vice President Joe Biden welcomed employees back to work Thursday at the headquarters of the Environmental Protection Agency in downtown Washington. He broughtmuffins.

Mr. Biden said: “These guys not only took a hit and weren’t sure – I mean, the anxiety of knowing whether they’d get back or paid. But now they’re back and they’ve got all that work piled up so they’ve got a lot to do so I’m not going to hold them up very long.”

“It was depressing,” said Ettereteen Welch, the morning security officer at the EPA facility, of the shutdown. She said the shutdown made her realize “how much I enjoy doing what I do,” according to the pool reporter.

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Washington Wire is one of the oldest standing features in American journalism. Since the Wire launched on Sept. 20, 1940, the Journal has offered readers an informal look at the capital. Now online, the Wire provides a succession of glimpses at what’s happening behind hot stories and warnings of what to watch for in the days ahead. The Wire is led by Reid J. Epstein, with contributions from the rest of the bureau. Washington Wire now also includes Think Tank, our home for outside analysis from policy and political thinkers.